


Call Me When

by Drag_Bible



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-03-26 05:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13850949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drag_Bible/pseuds/Drag_Bible
Summary: Dela gets eliminated, but somehow she still wins.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! If you guys wanna leave requests for fan fiction feel free. You can also find me on tumblr: bitches-in-drag

“Why did you do it?” Dela looked up to see Trixie, leaning slightly on the doorframe to the werkroom. Her eyes were downcast, red rimmed as if holding back tears. Dela’s heart skipped as she walked slowly over to her. 

“I have to go. I can’t fully explain it but...the fire’s not in me like it is in you, or Shangela or any of the girls. It’s the fairest thing I’ve done.”   
Trixie scoffed and shrugged like a child, reaching for Dela’s wrists and holding them. God, she looked so cute during the challenge as IQ Kitty. Dela had lost her train of thought so many times when she saw Trixie dressed in her outfit, the glasses and the Pi symbol adding to the lump forming in Dela’s throat. 

“This decision was bullshit, but I understand why you did it. I just...I don’t want to do this and not see you. Out of everyone, I’m gonna miss you the most, Dela. I hope you know that.” Trixie’s voice cracked as she said Dela’s name, and Dela’s heart swelled. Trixie looked at her with glazed and hooded eyes, a soft smile threatening to tear through her face. She took off her heels in an attempt to level out the height difference and slid her hands from Dela’s wrists to her shoulders. 

“I have to pay you back for what you gave me on stage.” Dela gulped as Trixie slowly leaned in and pressed a ghost of a kiss on her cheek, sending sparks though Dela’s body. They looked at each other, saying everything they needed to, but couldn’t with words. Dela leaned in and connected her lips with Trixie’s, feeling Trixie melt slightly in her arms and grab her shoulders tighter. There was nothing but this kiss in this moment, and for Dela that was perfectly fine. 

The sound of footsteps caused them to break apart, both chuckling slightly as they did so. They were like teenagers, blushing at the mere idea of being caught, and shyly gazing at each other until Trixie had to leave. 

“Call me when you get the 100,000!” Dela called, hearing Trixie scream with laughter walking away. The camera crew set up and began asking her questions. 

“So who did you get closest to during All Stars.” Without hesitation, Dela answered:

“Oh, Trixie. For sure.”


	2. Thoughts

Trixie turned the corner, laughing at Dela’s remark. But her heart still hurt, and she couldn’t even explain why. Even when she was eliminated from her original season - _twice,_ when she left Katya to the metaphorical wolves, when she received the harshest critiques of all in her opinion; that she wasn’t _there,_ that they needed _more_  Trixie, she hadn’t felt her heart clecnch the way it did when Dela told them she was leaving. 

This had happened on All Stars 2, and Trixie didn’t think she’d see it again. She wanted to laugh hysterically at Ru’s seemingly calm face as Dela told her she made her own rules, but she couldn’t bring herself to. Tears shined in her eyes as she went through losing a good friend to the race once more. She saw Shangela’s frame sink to the ground slowly as Dela was talking, heard Aja’s exclamation, projecting the thought they all shared. 

And Dela had kissed her on the cheek, standing on her tiptoes to do so. A warmth fluttered through Trixie, staring from her cheek. She was thankful for the layers of makeup hiding her furious blush as she stared deep into Dela’s eyes, little sniffles leaving her unconsciously. Kennedy and Shangela hugged as Dela walked away, her head held high and walk rightfully dignified. She was radiant, even in the face of elimination, and Trixie was in awe. 

She thought about those eyes in her hotel room as she wrote in her journal. She thought about Dela’s speech, trying to engrave it into her brain. All the talk about being grateful for the opportunity, about how she doesn’t mean it to look like she’s disrespecting what this crown means, about how each of the other 4 deserved the shot at the crown and how she couldn’t eliminate any of them, so the logical conclusion was herself. 

She thought about Michelle, her shocked face as she turned to Ru, like a child who had just been told they weren’t getting their way. Her mouth agape, she looked at Dela speaking passionately, as if she had hung the moon and stars, clinging on to every word and trying to find a semblance of why Dela had to leave. 

She thought about Shangela, who had sank down, knees to he chest as the announcement was made. Trixie wanted to curl up also, but she just couldn’t move. She continued to stare dumbfounded at Dela’s choice, hating herself for feeling relieved when Dela was going home. The goddamn Wite-Out scribbling of her name only heightened the pain. 

She thought about how she felt in Dela’s embrace, and how it felt like she had been ripped away when they parted and how every step Dela took towards the end of the stage jamming the knife further into her heart. She caught Aja’s eyes as she looked away from Dela turning the corner, Aja’s knowing smirk raising questions she just couldn’t have answers to right now.

She thought about the kiss they shared in the werk room, how her toes had curled and sparks had flickered across her body as Dela’s lips moved with hers, her hands resting on Dela’s shoulders. Trixie closed her eyes once more, biting her lip softly and smiling to herself.

Setting her journal aside, she let the ghost of Dela’s lips on hers lull her to sleep, and tried in vain to avoid the thought that Dela had invaded her heart in such little time.


	3. What Now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dela meets a friend, and gets more than she came for.

“You did what!?” Jinkx screeched. Dela winced at the sheer volume of her friend, their voice being too high for her at this moment.

“I quit. I realised that I didn’t want it as much as my competitors did. I know we’re not supposed to talk about this Jinkx but I need to. Something else happened.” Jinkx tensed from across the coffee table. They knew that a large emotional reaction was the last thing Dela needed, knew that their theatrics would attract a lot of a tension. Taking a deep breath, they responded.

“What happened Dela? You know you can tell me anything.” Jinkx offered, flashing their most sincere smile. ‘ _Where do I begin_ ’, Dela thought. In the process of less than a month she’d made drag race history, trailblazed through every challenge and all but handed the crown to Trixie or Shangela at this point. Oh, and she also kissed one of her competitors and now good friends. This was a shit show that she had no way of explaining, so she may as well start with the most shocking.

“I kissed Trixie.” Jinkx all but dropped her coffee mug in shock, mouth open. Their eyes blinked furiously, as if looking for words in any language to display their shock. But none came. Dela and Jinkx sat there in silence, letting the world pass them by as the air of the conversation became more tense. Dela wanted to sink into the floor as Jinkx slowly closed their eyes and started chewing on their fingernail, breathing softly through their nose. After what felt like months, Jinkx spoke.

“This happened with Alaska and me too.” Now it was Dela’s turn to be shocked into silence, month opening and closing. Like her friend, no words would come to her except one question. Jinkx, as always, was ahead of her.

“This happened after Drag Race, and no she wasn’t with Sharon at this point. I may be an alcoholic, and I may make poor decisions but there are some lines even I won’t cross.” Jinkx finished, the corner of their lips raising upwards in a sly smirk. Dela let out a breathless chuckle, and looked out at the world passing. It always made her feel so small, but also connected. So much life going on , and she was a part of it. She just wanted to be seen. 

“How did I never hear about this?” Dela questioned. She and Jinkx has momentarily lost touch, which was understandable. Jinkx was coming to terms with their new fame, as well as batting off people who claimed she didn’t deserve it, or that she stopped drag’s royal couple from rising. Dela had to deal with getting on the show, and the self inflicted pressures to perform as well as Jinkx considering they had just won. But, they found their way back to one another as they always would. 

“You know we tell each other everything, and I’m sorry for keeping this secret. I just felt so embarrassed. What happened was we went to a hotel bar, to sort of clear the air. I could tell Alaska was still hurt from not winning. So we drank. And we talked. I got up to get some air, I just felt too tense and I couldn’t figure out why. Alaska joined me outside, looking at me weirdly. Before I could ask why, we were kissing.” Jinkx looked away, tears slowly forming in their eyes. 

“We parted, and went home. We never spoke of it again, and she went out of her way to avoid me. I just assumed she regretted it, which wouldn’t surprise me. I just wish I could bring myself to regret it also, but I just can’t.” Jinkx missed Alaska, and Dela’s heart broke for the wonderful person sat opposite her. Jinkx shook their head, as if physically shaking away their thoughts and grasped Dela’s wrists gently. 

“If you like her...don’t let it go. Trust me, you’ll regret it. Please, Dela.” Dela could feel her own tears coming on, her mouth feeling dry, and nodded slightly. 

“I really do like her. I think she’s just incredible, and I think she’s gonna win it. You can’t tell anyone. Please, Jinkxy.” The use of Jinkx’s pet name, although silly, meant a seriousness between the two. Jinkx nodded quickly, silently ensuring their friend that they would do nothing to hurt them. 

The rest of their time together seemed to fly, until they were both called for gigs. They hugged briefly but strongly, and parted. Dela sighed, feeling none too clearer about what to do with anything. As one weight was lifted, another developed. Dela started walking away, coffee in hand and head turned upward. 

She could do this. 


	4. Acting Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trixie loses it, but wins the challenge.

Morgan had given the parts out on her own judgment, much to Trixie’s and the others’ dismay. She had asked the preference of all the queens, who they thought would best suit their acting abilities, and then completely dismissed their judgement. Sometimes Trixie wonders why she was brought back that day, but can’t ponder on that for too long. Morgan’s return leads to Trixie’s and everyone else’s non-elimination, and then to Dela’s- 

No. She can’t allow herself to think on that anymore. It’s been days and still she misses Dela. She thinks about this challenge and how she would’ve had this in the bag. Any role, she would have turned out. The brilliance of Dela isn’t forgotten throughout the room. 

“Wanna talk about it?” Shangela’s voice startles Trixie, causing her to drop her script, the pages flying across the workroom table. Shangela snickers at Trixie, helping her to organise her script. After a long, slightly tense silence, Shangela speaks again. 

“Look, I love me some good BendelaChrist as much as the next girl, but this is beyond...I don’t even know what I’m saying but you look so down, Barbie. We may be in a competition, girl, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have decency towards one another. So I’ll ask again. You wanna talk about it?” Trixie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, unable to meet Shangela’s eyes. Damn Shangela. Damn her caring eyes and soft voice. Damn her stupid decent moral fibre. Trixie wanted to melt into the floor, close herself off and be anywhere other than right there next to her. But instead she found herself agreeing. 

“Not here. Rooftop. Tonight.” Trixie was walking away before she even finished her sentence, taking long strides and looking down determinedly at her script. Shangela shook her head and did the same, walking leisurely to the other side of the workroom. 

The acting challenge was...eventful. Trixie felt like her performance was good, no matter how shaken her confidence was after last week events. She struggled to keep composure in Shangela’s parts, and instantly she knew they were the top. She knew because Kennedy was bland, Morgan was insane and Bebe was...well, Bebe. Of course her and Shangela were the high ranking performers. 

“All right, that’s a wrap ladies! Get some rest for the runway tomorrow.” Ross called. Shangela and Trixie shared a look and Shangela smiled softly at Trixie's quick nod. The walked out together, and separated briefly to go to their separate hotel rooms. 

Trixie sat on the rooftop, knees to her chest, staring at the moon in contemplation. How and why was she so torn up by the fact that Dela wasn’t here? What about her pulled Trixie to her so strongly? And why in the hell did she care so damn much?

“I don’t have the answers to any of those, doll. I wish I did.” Again, Shangela’s voice cut through the silence, scaring Trixie. 

“Does being a dancer come with having permanently silent movements? Goddamn it.” Shangela laughed at Trixie’s panic, and put a hand on her shoulder in consolidation. Trixie flushed with embarrassment, realising that Shangela now knew about her...her what? Crush? That sounded too high school. And in no way could she be in love with Dela so quickly. She refused. But she had to find a word to describe her- 

“...infatuation with Miss Dela?” Trixie had caught the tail end of Shangela’s sentence, those caring, deep eyes staring intently at her once more. She nodded dumbly, and watched a small smile cross Shangela’s face as she looked away, muttering something about “having a thing for heroes”, and Trixie swatted her arm softly. 

“I can’t help it, Shang. It just happened. It happened so fast it hit me like a goddamn freight train. And now I don’t know what to do about it.” Trixie heard her own voice begin to crack at the end of her sentence and cursed herself for it. She was being so weak. But Shangela didn’t even blink, she simply took Trixie into her arms like a little sister and rubbed her arms soothingly. A long, now comfortable silence passed between them, until Shangela started laughing once more. Trixie raised her head in question and Shangela began to explain. 

“Only Miss Dela could enter one of the most cutthroat competitions, do well and STILL have everyone fawning over her.” Shangela laughed out the end of the sentence, Trixie joining her, both laughing in the night sky. For a moment, Trixie felt free and light again.


	5. Welcome Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The eliminated queens return, and judgement is given.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’M SO SORRY LIFE GOT SO HECTIC FORGIVE ME FOR THIS LONG ASS WAIT PLEASE THANK YOU.

“You will be judged by...the eliminated queens!” Ru announced gleefully, and the queens before her groaned. From Trixie’s right, she could hear Shangela mumble something about the studio not locking doors and she fought the urge to laugh. However, another feeling was rising in her chest. One that made her very, very nervous. 

The eliminated queens. Even the SELF eliminated queens. 

Dela. 

She coughed slightly and cursed herself for acting like a teenager, looking down to stop the blush forming on her face. Shangela poked her in the side, a knowing smirk pulling at her mouth as Ru continued to brief them on their challenges. Both heads snapped up at the mention of a remix of Kitty Girl. They looked at each other with incredulous looks on their faces, feeling like children in a candy store at the mention of singing and choreography. 

“Good luck, and don’t fuck it up!” Ru exclaimed, and the two snapped back to reality.

Time to write some lyrics. 

MEANWHILE: 

“They want me to come back? I JUST left!” Dela closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration as she talked down the phone, wanting to just leave the experience behind her. But his was reality tv, and you could never just leave on your own. 

“I know, but they need you for the twist. So get your stuff and come back. It won’t be for long.” The voice told her, and although she was loathed to admit it, she was intrigued by the idea. While she thought it was unfair, it was an interesting concept, and she sighed again when she realised why she was quite fond of returning. 

Trixie. The stupid life sized Barbie who had gotten under her skin. 

Dela cleared her throat. “I’ll be there. And I’ll bring my best drag.” The voice chuckled until she hung up. 

————————————————————————————

“Hey guys!” Trixie walked through the door to see all of the eliminated queens sat on the couch, and a chair. She took the hint and sat in the throne, ready to be interrogated. She purposely avoided eye contact with Dela, not quite sure if she would give herself away to the other queens. 

“So, why do you think that you’re America’s next Drag Superstar?” Aja asked. Dela zoned out, focusing on how Trixie looked upwards in thought and made more gestures when she talked than anyone she had ever talked to. Even Jinkx. Dela also focused on how brown Trixie’s eyes were as they caught the studio lights, and how she smiled softly when she talked about her success in this competition. 

“Okay ladies, 20 minutes for touch ups and we’ll be back for filming!” One of the producers shouted and the queens sighed collectively in relief. Trixie looked up and caught Dela’s eye, cocking her head quickly towards the Werk Room exit. Dela nodded slightly, grabbing her clutch.

As soon as they were alone, Dela grabbed Trixie in a forceful embrace, feeling a warmth spread through her as soon as they touched once more. Trixie’s grip toghtened on Dela, drawing her impossibly closer and sighing in comfort. 

“It is so good to see you again.” Trixie whispered into Dela’s neck, and Dela smiled against Trixie’s chest. Tilting her head up, Dela connected her lips to Trixie’s in a soft kiss, telling her everything she needed to know. 

“I am so proud of you, Trixie. So, so proud.” Trixie wanted to cry. She buried her face in Dela’s neck and laughed slightly, reluctantly pulling back after a few moments. 

“What if I don’t win?” Trixie’s voice broke at the end, just like their last conversation, and Dela shushed her. 

“You will.” Dela affirmed. 

“But Shangela-“ 

“You. Will. I believe in you Trixie, you can do this. Please, believe that.” Dela smiled at her, staring in her eyes adoringly. Trixie returned the smile and held her eye contact. They stayed there for a while, just enjoying each other’s company, and all elements of competition faded away. 

“Time to come back ladies! Next interview.” Trixie and Dela jumped apart, giving each other a knowing look. Trixie offered her hand and Dela took it, and they walked to the Werk Room doors hand in hand, quickly letting go as soon as they were visible. They parted with the same thought.

Here we go again.


	6. Winner Winner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trixie wins, and all is right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY THIS HAS BEEN LONG OVERDUE IM SWAMPED WITH EXAMS BUT IM STILL SORRY DKJSJJDS

“Trixie Mattel!” 

Trixie’s knees almost give out. Winner? Trixie? In the same sentence? Thank you, Dolly. Kennedy is turning to her and smiling, the eliminated queens are cheering, even Shangela flashes her a brilliant smile and a thumbs up in recognition, and Trixie sighs dreamily, Shangela’s hope evident in her warm eyes. 

Dela is clapping wildly and jumping up and down, Aja is clicking and calling her Ma again and Ru hands her the sceptre. She did it. She actually did it. She walks to the back of the runway and prances, truly feeling like a queen as the ending song rings out and Ru says her message. Dela mumbles an amen, even though she doesn’t really agree. She’s loved many people without loving herself, and has managed that love in herself sometimes. But, as she looks at Trixie, she feels 50 feet tall and somewhat overthrown with confidence. 

The queens run offstage in celebration. Dela catches Shangela’s eye, seeing the hurt in her eyes over Dela not picking her, but she smirks and mouths “I know why” with an exaggerated thumb point to Trixie giggling with Thorgy and Morgan. Dela nods, a lump forming in her throat as she leaves Shangela to talk with Bebe and walks over to Trixie. 

It feels like the ending of a cheesy, B-list romance movie. Everything’s happening in slow motion in Trixie’s mind. Dela’s walking over to her, looking up at her through her lashes, and Trixie didn’t think it would be possible for her heart to swell even more after this day, but it is, it feels like her entire body is being filled with her heart, a warmness spreading through her as Dela captures her in a tight hug and whispers “congrats, winner” with a small, almost unnoticeable kiss on her cheek and a squeeze of her shoulders. Trixie could cry at this moment. She knows there’s a storm coming, that it’s probably going to be All Stars 2: the remix when this goes out but right now she can’t bring herself to care about the fans and their reactions. All she can think about is Dela. How she’s still smiling at her, how their pinkies are linked, connecting them. 

“Come on y’all, let’s get up out this gig and into a bar somewhere, drinks on me!” Shangela shouts, and Aja’s excited howling echoes through the halls.


End file.
